My cat, Whisky, got an aural hematoma about 5 weeks ago on August 1st. He didn't have any signs of ear infection or ear mites, but he does produce a lot of ear wax. We had the hematoma aspirated/drained 3 times during the first week to try the non-surgical route, which is what the vet advised. She said there was a chance the non-surgical route could work. However, it didn't really work and just kept filling back up completely. When we took Whisky in for that third draining, there was a different (younger) vet at the clinic, and he recommended surgery. I was getting anxious with the non-surgical route not really working, and I agreed surgery was probably the best option.
The aural hematoma surgery was done by that vet the next day on August 8th. It looked pretty bad still, but the stitches (18 in total) were keeping it together somewhat, so I hoped for the best. The slit that was made in the center of the pinna for draining it pretty much closed up immediately and seemed to be useless to the procedure. His ear healed okay over the course of about a couple weeks, but it was still pretty swollen, itchy, and red, despite being on oral prednisolone for a couple weeks. He wore a cone, but he got in a couple kicks from his back leg, which made his ear a little more red.
On August 24th, Whisky got little bumps all over his ear where the stitches were. The vet removed the stitches on August 26th and said his ear was reacting to the stitches breaking down. He said he would put a note in his chart to use different stitches for Whisky if he needed another surgery in the future. His ear looked okay and a lot less red at this point, though, despite the bumps, and even though the tissue wasn't held as tightly together as I had hoped, it still looked like a success.
Two days later, on August 28th, the hematoma came back, but it was sort of more toward the less affected side of his pinna, even though there had been stitches throughout his entire pinna. We took him back into the vet, and the vet said he wanted to do another surgery, but this time he would do it under light sedation to avoid the negative effects of full anesthesia. I thought we probably should try again, too, so we scheduled the second surgery for as soon as possible, which was September 3rd.
Over that weekend, his aural hematoma grew a little larger, and I researched as best I could to try to figure out what was best for him. I watched a video from DVM360 where a veterinarian explained that the aural hematoma surgery is pointless without addressing the underlying cause. We knew the aural hematoma had to be from allergies, but we have no idea what he is reacting to. We brought Whisky back in for his second surgery, but I was very worried about doing another surgery, even though it was light sedation. It could harm his kidneys, and if we don't figure out what he's allergic to, then isn't it just going to come back again?
So, the vet said we could hold off on surgery for a day or so, but the longer we wait to do surgery, the worse off his ear will be. The hematoma is obstructing his ear canal. We decided to postpone surgery, and instead we had it drained. This time they injected a steroid into the empty space, as well. We also decided to do an allergy test. They drew his blood and sent it away. It tests for environmental allergens, but not food allergies, because the vet said the food allergy test is very unreliable. We haven't received those results yet, but in the meantime, the vet recommended we try a hydrolyzed diet. We've been feeding Hills z/d canned and dry food since then, slowly transitioning from his old diet, but now his stool is very soft and creamy. Whisky has a history of probable IBD, but his stool was firm on his old diet.
Whisky's hematoma filled up with blood again, and by the second day it was as large as before. It is obstructing his ear canal. We had planned to probably do the surgery that week, but I've been procrastinating and very worried that it will be pointless and harm his kidneys. The vet office didn't call me to reschedule the surgery like I thought they were going to, either, so I've just sort of been stalling since then, trying to see if this new hydrolyzed diet will make any difference in his allergies. However, I don't think the hydrolyzed diet is working since his stool is getting softer and his tummy seems to hurt a lot more than usual, but maybe it's too soon to tell?
I'm not sure what to do next, and I'm scared to make the wrong choice. Thank you for reading all this. Any help, guidance, or advice is welcome.
The aural hematoma surgery was done by that vet the next day on August 8th. It looked pretty bad still, but the stitches (18 in total) were keeping it together somewhat, so I hoped for the best. The slit that was made in the center of the pinna for draining it pretty much closed up immediately and seemed to be useless to the procedure. His ear healed okay over the course of about a couple weeks, but it was still pretty swollen, itchy, and red, despite being on oral prednisolone for a couple weeks. He wore a cone, but he got in a couple kicks from his back leg, which made his ear a little more red.
On August 24th, Whisky got little bumps all over his ear where the stitches were. The vet removed the stitches on August 26th and said his ear was reacting to the stitches breaking down. He said he would put a note in his chart to use different stitches for Whisky if he needed another surgery in the future. His ear looked okay and a lot less red at this point, though, despite the bumps, and even though the tissue wasn't held as tightly together as I had hoped, it still looked like a success.
Two days later, on August 28th, the hematoma came back, but it was sort of more toward the less affected side of his pinna, even though there had been stitches throughout his entire pinna. We took him back into the vet, and the vet said he wanted to do another surgery, but this time he would do it under light sedation to avoid the negative effects of full anesthesia. I thought we probably should try again, too, so we scheduled the second surgery for as soon as possible, which was September 3rd.
Over that weekend, his aural hematoma grew a little larger, and I researched as best I could to try to figure out what was best for him. I watched a video from DVM360 where a veterinarian explained that the aural hematoma surgery is pointless without addressing the underlying cause. We knew the aural hematoma had to be from allergies, but we have no idea what he is reacting to. We brought Whisky back in for his second surgery, but I was very worried about doing another surgery, even though it was light sedation. It could harm his kidneys, and if we don't figure out what he's allergic to, then isn't it just going to come back again?
So, the vet said we could hold off on surgery for a day or so, but the longer we wait to do surgery, the worse off his ear will be. The hematoma is obstructing his ear canal. We decided to postpone surgery, and instead we had it drained. This time they injected a steroid into the empty space, as well. We also decided to do an allergy test. They drew his blood and sent it away. It tests for environmental allergens, but not food allergies, because the vet said the food allergy test is very unreliable. We haven't received those results yet, but in the meantime, the vet recommended we try a hydrolyzed diet. We've been feeding Hills z/d canned and dry food since then, slowly transitioning from his old diet, but now his stool is very soft and creamy. Whisky has a history of probable IBD, but his stool was firm on his old diet.
Whisky's hematoma filled up with blood again, and by the second day it was as large as before. It is obstructing his ear canal. We had planned to probably do the surgery that week, but I've been procrastinating and very worried that it will be pointless and harm his kidneys. The vet office didn't call me to reschedule the surgery like I thought they were going to, either, so I've just sort of been stalling since then, trying to see if this new hydrolyzed diet will make any difference in his allergies. However, I don't think the hydrolyzed diet is working since his stool is getting softer and his tummy seems to hurt a lot more than usual, but maybe it's too soon to tell?
I'm not sure what to do next, and I'm scared to make the wrong choice. Thank you for reading all this. Any help, guidance, or advice is welcome.
